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Old 13-07-2021, 04:40 PM
Fritz (Glen)
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Buying a new mount

Hi all. First post.
Some time this week I'll be impulse buying an EQ mount. It'll be home for a RedCat 51 which I bought a few weeks ago.

I'm leaning towards a Skywatcher HEQ5 Pro. It seems as though it's been around forever and stood the test of time. Plus I see that being able to belt mod it for quieter operation and minimizing backlash is a positive.
But, for some reason, and I have absolutely no idea what that reason actually is, I keep eyeing off the Celestron AVX mount.

For those in the know, who have been into astrophotography for a while, which one of the two would you recommend?
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Old 13-07-2021, 05:18 PM
Startrek (Martin)
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Glen,
If you can stretch the budget a little more , I strongly recommend you consider the Skywatcher EQ6-R pro
I had a HEQ5 for 3 years , great little workhorse but I’d wished I had the EQ6-R from word go ( the EQ6-R only came out on market late 2018 )
I have 2 of them at different imaging sites
Your mount is “priority” in Astrophotography , then scope .........
Like most of us you will most probably upgrade in the future to a bigger , different type or heavier scope

EQ6-R pro mount
20 kg rated ( Astrophotography max recommended payload 15kg ) I have 15kg on one of mine
Belt driven in Ra and Dec
Low PE , minimal backlash
Whisper quiet being belt driven , the HEQ5 and NEQ6 gear driven mounts sound like a meat grinder when they slew
Easy to adjust worm and belts
Synscan handcontrolled or controlled by laptop using Emod and your preferred planetarium ( I use Stellarium) plus others
Well supported
Proven mount world wide like it’s little brother the HEQ5
And so on .....,
On nights of good seeing I’ve had mine guiding ( PHD2 ) down to 0.65 arc sec total error with 15kg on board
Hope the above helps
Cheers
Martin
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Old 13-07-2021, 05:38 PM
Startrek (Martin)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Startrek View Post
Glen,
If you can stretch the budget a little more , I strongly recommend you consider the Skywatcher EQ6-R pro
I had a HEQ5 for 3 years , great little workhorse but I’d wished I had the EQ6-R from word go ( the EQ6-R only came out on market late 2018 )
I have 2 of them at different imaging sites
Your mount is “priority” in Astrophotography , then scope .........
Like most of us you will most probably upgrade in the future to a bigger , different type or heavier scope

EQ6-R pro mount
20 kg rated ( Astrophotography max recommended payload 15kg ) I have 15kg on one of mine
Belt driven in Ra and Dec
Low PE , minimal backlash
Whisper quiet being belt driven , the HEQ5 and NEQ6 gear driven mounts sound like a meat grinder when they slew
Easy to adjust worm and belts
Synscan handcontrolled or controlled by laptop using Emod and your preferred planetarium ( I use Stellarium) plus others
Well supported
Proven mount world wide like it’s little brother the HEQ5
And so on .....,
On nights of good seeing I’ve had mine guiding ( PHD2 ) down to 0.65 arc sec total error with 15kg on board
Hope the above helps
Cheers
Martin
Glen,
I forgot to add the following -

Don’t think the EQ6-R pro mount is “overkill” or “over spec’d” as there is no such thing as overkill or over specifying a mount for Astrophotography
The general rule of thumb ( as a recommended minimum ) your total AP payload should be no more than 60% of the maximum payload rating of the mount.
I hope other folk jump in provide their advice as well
Cheers
Martin
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Old 13-07-2021, 05:39 PM
Fritz (Glen)
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Thanks Martin.
It was originally a toss-up between the heq5 and the EQ6-R pro. But I figured I wasn't getting seriously enough into it to justify the extra $1000.
I'll put it back onto my short-list again and think it about a bit more.
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Old 13-07-2021, 06:25 PM
AdamJL
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I have to agree with Martin. I went through this same choice in October when I got into the hobby. In the end, I settled on the EQ6-R. Probably the best bang for buck mount out there and gives a decent upgrade path for your scope. It’s also right at the edge of being portable (by car) to take with you on road trips
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Old 13-07-2021, 06:48 PM
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xelasnave
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The EQ6-R Pro is really a better option...it already has belt drive and lets face it to modify a EQ5 with belts it costs money making the price difference less.

The RQ6 will probably carry your Red Cat and your next scope both at the same time...I have 2 EQ6 and 1 HEQ5.

The 5 is great but the 6 beats it really.

I recently purchased a RASA 11 inch which is now on the EQ6 and I am confident although I am pushing the limits the 6 will handle it... years ago I carried a f5 12 inch and it managed of you pointed mainly up and did short exposures...

You may think you will be always happy with the Red Cat but it wont be long when you want a longer focal length...now look around at folk in the hobby..they all have a stable of scopes...I love wide fields, bit just use a camera lens and would love a Red Cat..but there is a 6 inch Newtonian, 80 mm refractor, 115 mm refractor, a eight inch Newtonian and a 12 inch Newtonian and now a RASA 11 inch...the 12 and the 6 need repairs but all others have specific jobs..think golf..you need more than a putter...and so you need a good golf cart ...
Good luck and remember you did ask.
Alex
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Old 13-07-2021, 07:38 PM
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RobF (Rob)
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Don't be too quick to write off the HEQ5Pro. However, if you do end up needing more payload capacity (and it almost always happens if you stay in the hobby) would you consider having 2 mounts or will you be selling off the 5 to buy some variant of the 6?

The Chinese mounts seem to get better every few years in average quality, but there is still a bit of luck as to how well individual mounts track. I've got both an older HEQ5Pro and NEQ6 - the 5 consistently tracks a bit better than 6, but both are regularly capable to sub-arcsec tracking on good nights. The 5 is my go to mount as it lighter and easier to lugg about with head and tripod attached. Definitely doable for NEQ6 too, just more carefully and slowly.

p.s. Haven't heard anything but good reports on the newer belt driven EQ6-Rs ((or Alt/Az version) mounts, just have no personal experience with them.
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Old 17-07-2021, 08:48 AM
Swartz (Nick)
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+1 EQ6-R Pro. Went through the same dilemma several months ago when upgrading from my non-GoTo EQ3. Went for a mount that was 'overkill' as it left me room to upgrade my scope collection.
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Old 17-07-2021, 10:05 AM
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The_bluester (Paul)
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I reckon by the time you buy an EQ5 and then belt mod it, you might as well buy the EQ6-R in the first place, I know it costs more but you would be spending more money on the EQ5 immediately if you go in to it planning to belt mod. The price difference to an EQ6-R would largely come back to you if you decided that AP was not for you and wanted to sell up.

The other bit is that an EQ6-R would carry a Redcat like it is not there, and happily carry an 8" or so newt if the fever takes you, but the EQ5 would certainly struggle with the newt.
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Old 17-07-2021, 02:25 PM
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mura_gadi (Steve)
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less than 2cents

Hello,

Not to steer you away from the suggestions here re: az/eq6 over a 5. They say you buy less mounts than you do telescopes. Oh and I also have no idea about Ap... but.

If you look at the "sky and scopes" article for the mounts used for "Astronomy Photographer of the Year" competition for the past two years (2019 & 2020). Of the 252 shortlisted images, 124 listed mounts used, the SW az/eq pro R was a clear favourite, as were SW mounts in general (39%) - the HEQ5 pro was third. (But pricing has its hands in there somewhere)

So, that would compound what has been suggested.

-------

My question is - Are you looking at a mount that will take you through a lot of scopes? or a mount to suit the red cat?

With the Red Cat you have a really nice light weight scope (1.8kg?), with lenses/finders/camera's your not going past 5/6kilo in a hurry. Starting from around $1k for a used iOptron to $4-5k for a high end Hobym 140 new - maybe team up a good light weight scope with a good light weight mount.

Others might suggest better portable mounts if you decide its a good match.

-------

With a light weight mount you have a perfect grab and go/travel package, but not the future expansion that the AZ/EQ6 R offers.


Steve
"Sky and scopes" article for the mounts used for "Astronomy Photographer of the Year"
https://skiesandscopes.com/astrophotography-mount/

Last edited by mura_gadi; 17-07-2021 at 02:43 PM.
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Old 18-07-2021, 03:13 AM
Fritz (Glen)
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Well, I ended up putting the EQ6-R Pro at the top of my list. From what everyone seems to be saying, and from what I've read about it, it does look like the clear choice.
But, there's a but. Since I'll be taking some time off work from next month, spending that almost near extra $1000 was just something I couldn't do. That money would be handy to have since I'll have none coming in for about 6 weeks. Add to the fact that it looks like absolutely nobody has any EQ6's in stock, I went for the HEQ5.
Part of me is a little disappointed in my choice, but for now, when it comes to the crunch and funds start to get a bit low, I can't eat the EQ6.
If I need to upgrade at a later date, I'll be in a better position to do so, but not right now.
So I thank everybody for their input, and it's a shame I couldn't go that far, but at least I've got something better than the Star adventurer I have currently. And with any luck, It'll be here tomorrow.
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Old 18-07-2021, 09:21 AM
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Camelopardalis (Dunk)
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Glen, I had an AVX back along and it wasn’t a bad mount, but being gear driven it could be a bit rough on the guiding, and sounded like a coffee grinder. The All-Star alignment makes it a winner for visual though, I just wasn’t a fan for imaging.

Like the other folks have said, go for a known solid performer…the belt driven SW offer a lot of bang for buck…
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